Piquant

The scoop: With nothing to do on a Saturday, I thought it would be the perfect time to head to Brooklyn for brunch. I chose Piquant, a restaurant in Prospect Heights with modern Southwest cuisine, for its good-looking menu, drink special and proximity to the train. Piquant is a very large space with a long bar in the front of the restaurant and small tables across from the bar. Toward the back, there are more tables. We chose to sit outside on the patio, which is downstairs. On our way outside, we walked through another small dining area that had couches and a smaller bar. The patio was incredible — one of the largest I’ve ever seen for a restaurant in this area — complete with a babbling brook. The whole atmosphere was very serene. I noticed they have heating lamps for when the temperatures dip and fans for hot summer days. They also have speakers scattered throughout the area, but there was no music playing when we were there. Some tables had umbrellas; ours did not. It was a cloudy day, and unfortunately, the few times the sun peaked through, the trees on the patio shielded the sun.

Babbling brook

The service at Piquant was very sub par. Our server was slow and hard to track down at times. We were the only table she was waiting on outside. The other servers were more visible and checked on their patrons more often. After we had been waiting for drinks for some time, I went to the restroom and noticed our server was sitting on a couch texting. I think that says it all.

Bottoms up: Piquant has a great special: $14 prix-fixe with an additional $8 for unlimited cocktails for two hours. And they have a lot to choose from — red and white sangria, mimosas and bloody Marys. I did find it strange that the prix-fixe menu only included egg dishes. A carafe of water was on every table, and if you ordered tea, they brought you a basket with different ones to choose from.

White and red sangria

Red and white sangria

I was a little worried when I didn’t see any fruit in either sangria. Have no fear, though, both types of sangria were quite tasty. I could taste the wine in the red; I could also taste a hint of sweetness. I couldn’t taste liquor in the white. It actually tasted like juice, which can be dangerous!

Mimosa

Mimosa

I’m not sure if it’s because I had two glasses of red sangria before I tried the mimosa, but this traditional brunch drink had a tropical taste. I think they ran out of flutes because mine was served in a wine glass.

Chew on this:

Breakfast burrito

Breakfast burrito / Scrambled eggs, borracho beans, chihuahua cheese and pico de gallo in a flour tortilla with salsa Colorado. Served with home fries or mixed green salad

What a big burrito! It was packed with super fresh ingredients. It had just the right amount of everything. I didn’t know what borracho beans were and was surprised to see they were red. Usually, I don’t like red beans, but these were good and went well with the rest of the fillings. I did scrape off the creamy sauce because I’m not a big fan and didn’t realize that would come on top of the burrito. Sometimes side salads are too small with only a few pieces of lettuce but not at Piquant. My side salad was a good size and tasted excellent.This dish hit the spot.

Steak and eggs

Steak and eggs / Marinated 6 oz. skirt steak with chimichurri sauce and two eggs any style. Served with home fries or mixed green salad

There was nothing bland about this dish. Everything had good flavor. The steak was seasoned well with chimichurri sauce and was cooked the way I requested. I asked for my eggs overeasy, and that’s exactly what I got. The home fries contained sliced red and green peppers and onions. I could actually see the herbs on the potatoes.

Buttermilk pancakes

Buttermilk pancakes $6

We both wanted something sweet, and since pancakes, French toast, etc., aren’t a part of the prix-fixe, we decided to split the buttermilk pancakes. The instant our food was placed in front of us, I could smell the deliciousness of the pancakes. I’m used to eating pancakes with a filling, but even though these were plain, they were so good. They were buttery and very fluffy. The pancakes stayed warm, even though we ate them after our main dishes.

Outside Piquant

The final bite: With solid drinks and tasty food, Piquant is a very good brunch spot, but the service holds it back from being great. If you’re a Manhattanite, the trip to Brooklyn for Piquant’s brunch is worth it.